euen then when hee punisheth sore whereby he seemes to frowne vpon them they can run to him in prayer and make their mone to him as example of Dauid who cries out O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Psalm 6.1 neither chasten mee in thy displeasure though the Lord seeme to bee angrie by afflicting of them yet they runne to him as to a father It grieues them to see their father displeased being like to a louing sonne who grieues to see his father angrie yea euery wrinkle in his fathers browe makes him to feare yet so as that that is grounded on loue and therefore runnes vpon his knees to him for pardon So is it with Gods children though their father chastise them with heauie and bitter afflictions yet they run to their father with this perswasion that though they haue failed in the dutie of a sonne yet he cannot faile in the affection of a father Contrarie to this the hypocrite and vnregenerat man vnder Gods heauy hand vpon him or his wife children goods c. he runs from God fleeing from him as from a tyrant and betakes him to his monie friends sports merrie companions yea to witches coniurers wizards or any vnlawfull course if they haue hope of reliese The fourth is a ioy and delight to meete the Lord in those places and by those meanes hee doth vsuallie meete his in It is true Gods presence is in all places but yet he is said to be more ordinarie present in those places where is word is preached where there are holy and religious exercises of praver meditations conference of scripture singing of Psalmes or the like Indeede hypocrites will come to Church but it is not with ioy and with delight it is not of conscience to meete the Lord to hearken what hee saith vnto them and to put it in practise in their liues but rather some worldly busines driues them or for custome or neighborhood or to auoid the name of a Papist A second vse hereof serues for the reproofe of two sorts of hypocrites and first Those who take themselues good Christians and in good state if they liue a ciuill life especially if they can make a faire shew of louing religion and can talke of it though their conscience accuse them of some sin they doe liue in and they can say to themselues as Lot said by Zoar Oh is it not a little one Gen. 19. But hearken to me thou that thinkest it a small matter to liue in one I tel thee liue and die impenitent in the one and it will be thy destructiō Did not Herod make outward shew of many things yet because he would not leaue the one sin of incest God cast him off and reiected him I tell thee one hole in a ship will in a short time sinke the whole ship Tell me thou that with thy outward holines liuest an vsurer a drunkard a carelesse wreth darest drink but one dram of poison so one raging sinne will bring thee to hell The second sort are those who hauing sinned and liue in some raging sinne yet if they can now and then thrust out a few teares thinke it good repentance and haue repēted in an high degree But alas they be much peceiued for their teares bee but hypocriticall And that appeares in that either they bee shed in aduersitie as were Sauls Iudas Esaus or else in the congregation at the sermons as hypocrites do but in their closets or in secret they cannot shed one teare I tell thee deceiue not thy selfe for teares be no more signes of true repentance then are words Text. He was reiected Now followes the third degree of his punishment which is that hauing set the time of mercie so light hee is now denied though hee vseth meanes to obtaine it The date is out at the glasse is run therefore no meanes will preuaile Doct. 8 Whence wee doe learne that such as by their prophanenesse doe wilfully refuse the offer of Gods mercie and doe preferre their pleasures and profits before it may run so farre that all the meanes they can vse shal neuer obtaine mercie at the hands of God I say as there is a time in which the Lord will wooe vs yea he sends his Ministers to entreate vs Hosea 6.4 yea he will chide and expostulate the matter with vs why wee will not accept of his mercie so there is and will be a time that after the refusing of grace and contemning of mercie offered the Lord will shut vp and bolt vp the gate of mercie so as he will not be entreated at our hands any more Psalm 95.7.8 This is prooued to vs by the Prophet Dauid in one of the Psalmes where hee exhorts the people that they will take and accept of the time the Lord offers them lest it come to passe by their contempt and refusing the time of grace the Lord cast them off and reiect them I denie not but that in respect of vs til God haue manifested his wil there is hope but in respect of Gods secret decree the time of Gods mercie may bee out euen during this life therefore when mercie is offered we must take heed wee wilfully contemne it not lest we prouoke the Lord to be gone and vtterlie reiect vs. One of the fearefullest signes of a castaway is to delay and put off the Lords gratious offer of mercie as wee reade of Pharaoh Exod. 8.9.10 who when Moses offered himselfe to pray to the Lord for him he put it off till the next morrow so hee that hath the graces and mercies of God offered to him to day and puts them off from his youth to his age and from his old daies to his death-bed may iustly feare an vtter reiection euen then when he hopes of most comfort For the further pressing this doctrine on our consciences let vs obserue some places of Scripture And first let vs see what the Lord saith to such as despise Wisdomes call being of three sorts The first that like fooles content themselues with ignorance The second that scoffe at the Lords offer by his seruants The third which are carried away by their owne lusts Because I haue called and yee refused Prou. 1.24 I haue stretched out mine hand and none would regard Verse 28. And then shall they call vpon me but I will not answere they shall seeke me earelie but they shall not find me Noting that as they refused the time in which he called so they should call in hope of mercie but they should not obtaine The like we reade how the Prophet Esay calling Ierusalem to repentance in sackcloth and ashes for their sins Esay 22.12.13 she fell to sporting and feasting despising the Lords message and offer of grace by his Prophet what came of it you may reade presently that their contempt comming to the Lords eares he answeres Surely Vers 14. this iniquitie shall not be purged from you till yee die saith the
am in doubt many of vs come short of and yet perswade our selues to be good Christians First you haue not read a more louing kind and gentler sonne to his father then he was and his father againe loued him dearely and more dearelie then hee did Iacob Gem. 33.4 Secondly how kind was hee to his brother who though he went with a full purpose to haue slaine him yet meeting of him his heart so melted that he fell on his necke and kissed him yea his kindnes was such to his father that hearing of his death Gen. 25.19 came many a mile to performe his last dutie and to see him buried and laid him in his graue yet wee reade him branded for a castaway Againe was hee a couetous man truelie no Gen. 33.8.9 as may appeare in the storie when he met his brother Iacob who offering him a great present he did refuse it protesting hee had enough which did argue a mind void of couetousnesse Was he proud no verily for as we reade when his brother and hee could no longer dwell together he in courtesie gaue place to his youngest brother What was his sinne was he a drunkard an adulterer an vsurer We doe not reade that hee did liue in any of these grosse sinnes What then was his sinne He was a prophane man and therefore hated of God and set vp for a spectacle to all the world From whence wee may obserue for our instruction Doct. 4 Howeuer a man may haue many temporall blessings and morall vertues yet being a prophane man it is not only sufficient to bring seuere punishments vpon him but he carries a principall brand of a castaway I say againe and marke it though a man be come of a most honorable descent though kind and dutifull to his parents though rich and wealthy in regard of the things of this life yea though hee be contented and be very humble outwardly yet if he be prophane he may carry the very brand of a reprobate So that it is one of the greatest sinnes in the world to be prophane and irreligious yea many papists I meane the simple and ignorant Papist are in better case then a prophane man Not that I teach that euery one shall bee saued by his owne religion for as there is but one true God so there is but one true way by which he will be worshipped and by which we shall attaine to saluation consisting in true reconciling of vs to God in Christ And I grant the poore deceaued Papist is not in the right way for he seekes other waies and depriues himselfe of the righteousnes of God in Christ going about to establish his owne inuentions And further they be Idolaters and worship stockes and stones the worke of mens hands therefore cannot looke to be saued in this way Yet I sa yt here is more hope that God will shew mercie vnto them then to a prophane person because they doe it of ignorance he of presumption which caused Peter to tell the Iewes that they were capable of mercie Act. 17.3 because they did it of ignorance And this must mooue vs to hope well of many of our ancestors who liued and died in the time of Poperie who no doubt would not haue so beleeued if they had knowne it not to haue been the truth which they professed But the prophane person cannot bee ignorant but that his course of life is sinne therefore more hope of such ignorant persons then of the prophane Atheist It is not morall vertues ciuill honestie kind natures that is the way to heauen Nay a man with these may be a miserable man except he be sanctified with religion Wee doe not hold as the Papists falsely charge vs that good workes are needelesse to saluation Iam. 2.14 For wee both know and teach that faith without good workes is dead and it is a shame if Christians exceed not worldlings yet we say that all morall vertues in a man without religion are vnauaileable to saluation and as Salomon saith in another case they are as a ring of gold in a swines snout Honestie and ciuilitie are most pretious Iewels but they that haue them without religion are no better then swine Example of Nicodemus Iohn 3.3 who was accounted a most honest man in the world an vpright dealer a common frequenter of the Temple liberall to the poore c. yet our Sauiour told him it was not his kind nature nor his morall vertues nor his ciuill carriage would bring him to heauen except hee were regenerate and borne anew that is except there were another nature wrought in him and so become religious The like example wee haue of the Apostle Paul who bragges of his estate by nature Phil. 3 4.5.6.7.8 saying that no man could boast of outward things as he either of stocke tribe kinred zeale or righteousnesse of the law Of the which hee saies he was vnrebukeable that is no man could iustly detect him or say so much as blacke was his eie But when the Lord wrought true religion in his heart hee cries shame on them all and accounts all but dung in respect of the benefit that comes by religion Wee must not flatter our hearts with outward ciuilitie amongst men but labour to approue them religious towards God It is not our care and conscience of the second Table will afford vs one iot of comfort to saluation except they bee grounded on conscience and respect of the first Table It is not our detesting and freedome from pride drunkennesse whoredome theft vsurie slandering that will bee accepted of God except there be planted in our hearts a feare of God a loue to religion a conscience of sanctifying the Sabbath day a reforming of families and instructing our children a hating and abhorring the sinne of swearing and departing from infidelitie impenitencie and hardnesse of heart which the Lord by his spirit workes in those that hee makes religious Yea if all the morall vertues that can be possible were in a man yet if these bee wanting Matth. 22.38 hee is a prophane man and remaineth in the case of damnation To this end our Sauiour calles the first table the first and the greatest The first because it must bee preferred in the first place and chiefe roome before our eating sleeping marrying rising labour c. there must goe some part and duety of the first table The greatest because the punishment thereof will be greater then the other Vse Now for the vse of this First it teacheth vs to make triall in our hearts whether wee bee infected with this sinne of prophanenesse or not And though there bee many and sundrie signes to trie our hearts by yet I will content my selfe with foure things besides the chiefest of all which followes in the next words to bee spoken of which the holy Ghost hath set out and branded Esau withall The first is his behauiour in the matching himselfe in marriage wherein he shewed his
labour to be religious and bring vp their children in holy exercises Prou. 22.6 Therefore Salomon cries out so often to parents teach thy sonne instruct thy sonne Now how can they doe this which cannot teach themselues You cannot do greater iniurie to your children or be greater enemies to them thē to liue prophane liues Better is the sonne of the veriest begger in your City being both religious then the son of the wealthiest man in your Citie being both prophane for if thou bee irreligious thou hast done as much as lieth in thee to beget an helhound and it must be a supernaturall worke of God to alter the nature of the same To you godly parents that loue religion and hate prophanenes Art a rich man and trainest vp thy son in religion Bee of comfort whilest thou liuest thou shalt haue ioy and when thou diest thou shalt leaue them to one that is like long to enioy them Art a poore man art religious fearing God and walking sincerely and vprightly in thy calling hast many children and nothing to leaue them Be of good comfort thou shalt leaue them the blessing of God I know it is hard for many to beleeue this Psalm 12◠3.4 but the holy Ghost hath spoken it and left it for vs to beleeue Againe to thee that hast gotten great store of gold goods lands liuings Art a prophane man thou maist liue with sorrow enough and die thou shalt with a wofull heart Doest thinke those goods and riches thou hast scraped together with vexing the bodie and venturing the soule to the diuell shall long bee enioyed When was there euer any rich man or where is any that can come out and say he euer saw the fourth generation of a prophane man prosper No no the Lord will curse them and blow vpon them they shall not prosper It is religion must bring the blessing of God vpon them and their posteritie Againe you that are children pray pray daily to the Lord to work religious hearts in your Parents and reioyce and be glad to see your fathers giue thanks before meales and downe vpon their knees to prayer before they goe to their beds for this will turne to blessings vpon you if you bee carefull to follow their steppes and though thy father die a begger yet assure thy selfe he shall leaue thee the blessing of the Lord. Psalm 37.25 I haue been young saith Dauid and now am old yet saw I neuer the righteous forsaken nor his seede begging their bread not meaning that it was impossible that a righteous mans child should goe a begging but that it is a thing that is verie rare and that hee was now forescore yeeres of age yet hee did neuer in all his life see it And so haue many men liued till they haue been of great yeeres yet haue they seldome or not at all seene any such thing come to passe Lastlie to such others as know they shall haue great possessions left them by prophane parents and such as preferre their treasure their pleasure and earthlie things before any spirituall duties to God as experience in many you shall neuer see them carefull to giue thanks at their meales neuer are vpon their knees in prayer in their families but are swearers prophaners of the Lords Sabbath vsurers drunkards and let them tremble to be heires to such wretches For if it please not God to worke supernaturallie on thee thou maist not onely curse the day that euer thou wast begotten of them but God shortlie will sweepe either thee or thine away with the besome of his wrath And once againe I exhort all you that be parents labour to bee religious and to bring vp your children in godly education else you may feare that your bones shall not be so soone rotten as the Lord will rot and roote out your posteritie and name from vnder heauen Text. v. 17. For ye know how that afterward also when he would haue inherited the blessing he was reiected And now come wee to the third point which is to the punishment which as you heard is threefold The first is a certaine griefe and shame that he had left and sold his birthright away Secondlie how he would faine haue had it againe shewing outward signes of repentance and labours to recouer it but all in vaine The third is that hauing wilfully lost the time of grace he procured a perpetuall deniall of mercie For the first Esan hauing thought hee had made a good exchange with his brother yet at length comes to see the losse and it shames him and wounds him in his conscience that for so base a price he had parted with his birthright but all too late Doct. 6 Where we may obserue howsoeuer prophane men doe muffle vp their consciences and take it a good exchange to part lightlie away with spirituall blessings for temporall pleasures yet a day will come they shall see their losse and it shall vexe and torment them in their consciences they had no better grace but to part with them at so low a rate Gen. 25.34 As example of this castaway who at the first comming from his hunting and hauing sold his brother his birthright yea partly in contempt it is said hee rose merilie as one that had thought hee had made a good exchange Gen. 27.34 but afterwards when hee perceiued his losse in comming to his father in hope of a blessing and that his father told him he had blessed Iacob and he must bee blessed then hee cries out Oh blesse mee also father blesse mee as if hee should haue said I hope his subtiltie shall not disinherit me Alas I had but a messe of pottage in my neede and must I lose birthright and blessing and all Thus this wofull wretch comes to see his losse which before he made so light account of Now his conscience wounds him Now the curse of God pulles away the scale of his conscience and hee sees his follie The like example we haue of Baalam Numb 23.10 who though hee had liued a couetous wretch and had lightly regarded the way of righteousnes yet in the end he wisheth to die the death of the righteous Euen so many at this day they spend their time in the vanitie of the world contemning the call and offer of the Lord neglecting and despising many holy meetings many sermons many sacraments for to gaine a little pleasure ease and profit accounting such but fooles that run to Sermons But let such know the Lord will vncrust that conscience of theirs and then they shall curse their pleasures their profits their walking in the fields that were meanes to draw them away from our assemblies in the congregation then will they be ready to curse themselues they had no better grace they could not see their follies but to preferre their couetousnesse drunkennesse whordome vsurie pastimes plaies c. before the heauenly way of saluation Matth. 26.15 Iudas thought he had sped wel